Bookish Bits and Bobs: Writing on the go

SPONSORED POST

 Many bloggers are serialists. They keep more than one blog, they write novels, and they write poetry. They probably also read books on a tablet or ebook reader. And, of course, there just aren't enough hours in the day to do all of these things.

However, tablets can be expensive and are eminently stealable. Plus, many cannot afford a tablet AND a normal computer, and tablets are not always well-adapted to high-volume typists. So one attractive solution is this new generation of laptops that are also tablets, such as the Microsoft Surface and the Dell Duo. The HP Envy x2 is another device that is a Windows 8 notebook PC and a tablet in one thanks to its detachable keyboard. Appealing for its sleek design and all-day battery life, it also has an HD Touch display for times when you want to jettison some extra weight and leave the keyboard at home. Cnet.com says in its review that it's easy to detach, too, so that you don't have to spend hours faffing in the morning when trying to get your tablet into your bag.

But how do these devices perform when it comes to on-the-go writing for blog-mad writers? The HP Envy x 2 definitely seems to come out favourably: it has five-finger capacitive touch functionality, meaning that wordsmiths should be able to continue to type normally even without the keyboard. The 11-inch screen also competes with normal laptop sizes, meaning that with luck, you shouldn't have to squint. And as most writers are readers too, they'll also be pleased with the fact that the HP Envy x 2 comes with the Amazon Kindle Reader already loaded onto the tablet. The tablet alone also has 7-hour battery life (compared with 12 with the tablet and keyboard together) meaning that writing is possible throughout your commute. Review site NetbookCheck.net also states that "The touchscreen proves to be equally accurate and responsive so that the automatically opened virtual keyboard is quite suitable for writing emails or texts." In addition, it appears very slim and lightweight (the tablet itself is a mere 700g, with the tablet and keyboard together weighing 1.4kg), even with the keyboard, meaning that it is genuinely portable without being cumbersome.

Many are waiting for hybrid and tablet prices to drop before taking the plunge into this new technology phase, and as wannabe writers are famously hard up, they are probably doing the same. However, once this happens, you can be confident that there'll be many writers out there who find it even easier to fit their writing around their day jobs.